Washington lost its 23-year-old superstar outfielder at Tuesday's trade deadline but GM Mike Rizzo believes the Nationals will be competitive again soon.
With all due respect to veteran first baseman Luke Voit, the true prizes of the trade were the other five players headed back to the nation’s capital: shortstop C.J. Abrams, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, outfielder James Wood and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana.
Both Abrams and Gore have gotten a taste of the majors, but the former struggled mightily at the plate while the latter suffered an elbow injury that’s expected to sideline him for the rest of the season. Abrams was also optioned to the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate immediately upon completion of the trade. It’s going to be some time before the pair of former first-round picks takes the field at Nationals Park together.
As for the other three prospects, none of them have played a game above High-A. Hassell is a candidate to reach Double-A before summer’s end, but the 20-year-old is still only in his second full professional season. Wood and Susana are each teenagers with a couple more years of development ahead of them.
Of course, pitching prospects Cade Cavalli and Cole Henry should get the opportunity to test their talents out in the majors either down the stretch or early next season. Catcher Keibert Ruiz and right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray, the biggest headliners from last year’s deadline moves, have shown some encouraging signs in their first full MLB seasons. Shortstop Luis García has had a few hot stretches at the dish with the occasional highlight-reel play in the field.